Adapting
by multitrash-g
Summary: Emma is having trouble adapting to life in the Enchanted Forest. Regina helps her out. SwanQueen. Fluff.


**A/N: I thought I would write a one-shot since I left a handwritten chapter of Sister City on my desk and I can't recall it from memory.**

 **This one-shot is set post-show in the Enchanted Forest, as if everyone has gone back.**

 **Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own OUAT.**

Regina slowly prepared herself to knock on the door to the blonde's quarters. She knew that Emma hadn't exactly been adapting well to life in the Enchanted Forest. Emma was more of a city girl. She struggled to lace up her dresses, could barely ride a horse, and couldn't stand more than an hour in royal court.

As Regina knocked cautiously on the heavy wooden door, she prepared herself to be shot down as soon as she started to speak. She was not on great terms with the younger woman. Granted, it was technically her fault that they were back in the Enchanted Forest, Regina didn't like that she was receiving all of the blame.

When the brown door opened, Regina was not expecting to see what she found. There stood Emma in a full dressing gown, her golden curls tumbling down her back. Regina was somewhat glad that Emma was finally conforming to the "dress code" of this realm.

Regina herself had opted for some lighter colors, and preferred to keep her hair tied back instead of in elaborate styles like the ones she wore as the Evil Queen. She had completely surrendered the intense wardrobe of tight corsets and black leather, and paraded around in more comfortable attire.

"Hello Emma," Regina greeted, letting herself into the room.

"Regina," Emma greeted coldly. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see how you're adapting to life in the Forest," Regina replied, sitting on one of the plush chairs in the Princess' suite.

"You know how I'm adapting," Emma said, sitting on her elaborate and bright pink bed. "I'm not."

"Emma," Regina comforted. "I know it's different-"

"Not only is it different," Emma complained. "But my parents think they're going to treat me like a child now that we're here. I mean, look at this bed."

Regina had to stifle a laugh.

"Regina," Emma warned. "I'm not a kid anymore."

"I know," Regina replied sympathetically. "Trust me, I understand controlling parents."

Emma looked down and picked at the comforter.

"I'm sorry," Regina apologized. "I came to try to lighten your mood."

"Okay, lighten away."

"Listen," Regina suggested. "The way to prove to your parents that you aren't a kid is to do something that a kid would never do."

"What are you suggesting?" Emma asked, a slight twinkle in her eyes.

"Something that would bring a little more of your comfort zone back into our lives," Regina continued.

"Okay," Emma said, suddenly doubtful.

"I'm sure we can think of something," Regina said.

The two women sat in silence for a moment. Emma continued to pick at the pink, fluffy comforter. Regina adjusted her long, red dress and sighed.

"I've got it," Emma said suddenly. "What if I learn to ride?"

"Woah, Swan," Regina warned. "I was thinking more along the lines of hooking up with someone, but I guess that'll work-"

"You!" Emma exclaimed.

"What?" Regina said, flushing.

"Teach me to ride," Emma proposed.

"Oh I thought you meant," Regina started. "Never mind."

"Please," the savior begged. "It's the least you can do since you-"

"Alright, alright," Regina agreed. "But we do this my way, for real. This isn't going to be like the magic lessons."

"Okay but those ended up working well," Emma observed.

"Whatever," Regina responded. "Tomorrow at six o'clock."

"At dinner time?" Emma asked. "That seems a little odd."

"Six in the morning, dear," Regina said with a smirk.

Emma gulped as the queen walked out of her chambers.

What had she gotten herself into?

At six o'clock the next morning, Emma was dragging herself down the many stairs in front of the place that she and her parents occupied. It was still what she estimated to be hundreds of feet to the stables where she was meant to meet Regina.

She finally reached the stables and huffed out a breath of air when she saw the brunette standing in leather riding pants and a short, light jacket to ward off the chill of an early spring morning.

"You're late," the queen said, without even looking at the blonde.

"Well you made our lesson at an ungodly hour, Your Majesty," Emma scoffed, petting the head of her white stallion, ironically named Excalibur.

"Well a real princess would be up this early anyway," Regina spat back, throwing a saddle on the black stallion she would be riding herself.

"I'm not a real princess," Emma said angrily, copying Regina's movements.

Tension boiled between the two women. Emma felt like the next few hours were going to be very long ones.

"It seems like you can at least put a saddle on, Swan," Regina chided, gracefully swinging herself onto the back of the stallion. "But can you mount?"

Emma, determined not to let Regina see her fail, copied Regina's movements fairly well, but went a little too far and almost fell of the other side.

Regina smirked and trotted her horse outside into the damp morning air. Emma attempted to follow. She squeezed her legs together like she remembered her father had taught her, and pulled the reins back when she met Regina outside, but that was all that she could do.

"Good," Regina congratulated.

"Now wait," Emma said. "This isn't going to be sink or swim like your magic lessons right? Because this is an actual animal and-"

"Relax, Emma," Regina warned. "I'm going to guide you through this."

"Good," Emma sighed in relief.

Regina slowly guided Emma and Excalibur away from the palace and deeper into the forest below them. Emma was at a complete loss for direction, but she could tell that Regina was right at home. This was where she belonged. No throne or town hall office could ever take that away. The older woman expertly guided them through the forest to a clearing.

"Ready to run?" Regina asked as Emma's horse came to a stop next to her.

"Run?" Emma asked.

"The clearing is flat and a good place to practice," Regina reasoned. "You'll be fine."

She slowly walked Emma through the basics of running and the two women took turns running back and forth across the clearing. Emma was distracted by Regina multiple times. The normally stern and cold woman looked so free and happy, it filled Emma with a strange warmth.

Suddenly, a loud thud rang out through the forest.

Emma snapped out of her trance of watching Regina. Regina also skidded to a stop and looked to the sky.

"Ogres," the older woman mumbled under her breath, seconds before the Ogre in question peered out from the trees.

Excalibur took off running in the opposite direction of the Ogre, Emma with him.

"Shit," Regina mumbled under her breath, kicking her own stallion into a run and following Emma's bright blonde hair down the path.

Slowly, she caught up to the spooked horse, leaving the Ogre in the dust so that it couldn't even be heard any longer. She directed her own horse up beside the scared white stallion.

"Emma," Regina called out to the younger woman.

"Oh, hello Regina," Emma said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Nice of you to show up."

"Shut up," Regina snapped back, holding out her arm for the Princess to grab. "You just have to trust me."

Emma quickly realized that she didn't have any other choice and grabbed Regina's arm, and the older woman pulled her to safety aboard her own horse, as the two watched Excalibur run even further into the distance.

Regina pulled the horse to a stop near the stables, and immediately pulled the reins to a stop. She quickly dismounted and pulled Emma down behind her. The two were suddenly invading each other's space.

"You saved me," Emma said, barely a whisper.

"That I did," Regina said.

Suddenly, Regina felt her lips being covered by the blonde's in a deep and appreciative kiss. She brought her hands up to tangle in the golden hair that was so expertly pulled into a ponytail. Regina ran her hands along the fair neck that she had longed for so long to touch.

Emma pulled away suddenly. "What about Excalibur?" She asked frantically.

"He's a smart horse, he'll be fine," Regina answered pulling the blonde back to her lips. They kissed for a few more seconds before Emma pulled away again.

"The Ogre?" She asked.

"He won't trace us back to the palace," Regina reassured. "Now shut up and kiss me."

So Emma did.

After a few more long moments in front of the stables, Emma pulled away once more and smiled.

"What?" Regina asked with a smile of her own.

"It's just," Emma said with a chuckle. "I don't think my parents will ever treat me like a kid anymore."


End file.
